The City of Long Beach today announced a new partnership with Code for America for the 2016 Code for America Fellowship Program, to promote economic development opportunities. Only five other cities are in the Fellowship Program.

“We’re excited to collaborate – once again – with Code for America to continue making Long Beach more efficient, transparent, and innovative,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “This year, we're pleased to use technology to increase inclusive engagement of our business community and streamline the way businesses interact with the City digitally. Working with Code for America will have a lasting impact on not only our community, but will further support the way we work to build 21st Century government practices within the walls of City Hall.”

The Code for America Fellowship pairs local governments with teams of mid-career, civic-minded technologists for one year, to develop digital approaches to delivering public services, such as improving access to health and human services; safely reducing incarceration; or promoting economic development opportunities.

“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Long Beach in 2016. Each partner was selected for their commitment to making government services simpler, faster, and more effective for the people who use them,” said Jennifer Pahlka, Founder and Executive Director of Code for America.

Fellows and government partners will explore answers to local challenges by engaging with the community, building applications, and testing the results. Over the past five years, the Fellowship program has produced more than 65 software applications with 38 municipal governments and 126 fellows.

The applications are tangible results of a process that builds much more than a piece of technology – they are vehicles for driving cultural and structural change inside government.

This year, Long Beach and four of the other local governments are alums of the Fellowship program – a testament to the impact of the Fellowship program and the governments’ commitment to delivering services in ways that are simple, beautiful, and easy to use for everyone. The five other local governments participating in the 2016 Code for America Fellowship Program are Kansas City, Missouri; New Orleans; New York City; Salt Lake County, Utah; and Seattle, Washington.

The Long Beach Code for America Fellowship will be supported by the City’s Technology and Innovation Department and the City’s Innovation Team (i-team). The i-team is made possible with a three year, $3 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Long Beach was one of 14 cities selected in December 2014 as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Innovation Teams program. The program aims to improve the capacity of City Halls to effectively design and implement new approaches that improve residents’ lives. These teams function as in-house innovation consultants, moving from one priority to the next. Using Bloomberg Philanthropies’ tested Innovation Delivery approach, i-teams help agency leaders and staff go through a data-driven process to assess problems, generate responsive new interventions, develop partnerships, and deliver measurable results.

About Code for AmericaCode for America is a national nonprofit that believes government can work for the people, by the people, in the 21st century, if we all lend a hand. In collaboration with communities, government staff, and technologists, Code for America builds and encourages digital products and services that make government simpler, more effective and easier to use. More at www.codeforamerica.org.

Code for America is supported by Omidyar Network, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Google.org, the James Irvine Foundation, and many other foundations, corporations, and individual donors that support our national and local programs, such as the Fellowship program.

About Bloomberg PhilanthropiesBloomberg Philanthropies’ mission is to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: Public Health, Environment, Education, Government Innovation and the Arts. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s charitable activities, including his foundation and his personal giving. In 2014, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $462 million. For more information on the philanthropy, please visit www.bloomberg.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @BloombergDotOrg.